Alien in the House

for his side, James, who isn’t his friend, in that sense, but is his fiancée’s brother-in-law. Jeff had to suggest himself as best man. Chuckie didn’t have to tell me, all I needed was to look at him and hear how friendless he feels. He’ll do anything for you, but you need to do the same for him.”
    She nodded. “Do you really want me to leave and never come back?”
    “No. Do you really want to keep wallowing in your loss?”
    She looked over her shoulder. “No.” She turned back. “I get what you meant. She’d give up a limb, her sight, her looks, if she could get him back. I lost something precious, but we don’t even know if that’s a permanent loss. But I haven’t lost the most precious things. That’s why you’re mad at me, isn’t it?”
    “Pretty much, yeah. Well, that and you acting like your wedding is more important than saving someone’s life or bringing a murderer to justice.”
    She sighed. “I was originally thinking a small wedding.”
    “I was originally thinking I’d get to enjoy my daughter’s first birthday party.”
    “Yeah.”
    We were both quiet. My anger was ebbing fast. Which meant embarrassment for blowing up at Naomi in front of a lot of people was vying for my attention. “I’m glad Chuckie’s marrying you, you know.”
    “I know. I’ve really been a horrible Bridezilla. I’m not asking, I’m saying. And you haven’t even seen most of it.”
    “Everyone will forgive you if you go back to being you.”
    “Even you?”
    “Especially me. You’re marrying one of the five most important men in the world to me. I don’t want to be angry with you or have you angry with me. I liked you before you and Chuckie got together. I want him to be happy. And you make him happy.”
    “I’m not sure he’d pick me over you.”
    “I am, but let’s not force him to choose.”
    “Deal.”
    Amy sighed. “Kitty, you need to let it out. There’s only us here, and Richard’s right.”
    “Right about what?” Naomi asked.
    “Right about the only thing Kitty’s jealous of you over. You’ve gotten to wallow, and she hasn’t even gotten to cry.”
    “I have. I cried when Santiago died. And even when Eugene died.”
    “But you just lost another friend,” Naomi said softly.
    “Yeah.” I could feel tears wanting to come. I just didn’t want to let them.
    “Tell me about him, Nathalie’s husband,” Naomi said. “Please.”
    Could have said a lot of things about Brewer. But what came out of my mouth wasn’t what I was thinking. “He was going to be Jeff’s mentor, you know, the guy who helped him learn his job and was there to back him up. He was all excited about it, and it was like we were going to have friends, a couple, who we could do nice normal people things with, even though we’re not normal people. Jeff’s going to be all alone there now, with no one he likes or trusts to turn to. And I’m going to be all alone, too.”
    Naomi shook her head. “No, you won’t. We’re family, all of us. We fight, and we get mad, and we say angry words, but when it’s over, we’re still family. That’s just how it is.” She smiled. “And there’s nothing you can do about that. You’re stuck with us and we’re stuck with you.”
    The tears chose this moment to decide they’d held off damn well long enough. I started to cry. Naomi hugged me and I hugged her back. Which of course meant that I was now doing the really big, body-wracking sobs.
    “Sorry,” I managed to get out, as I started slowing down.
    “It’s okay. I’m not crying because I used all my wallowing over stupid stuff. And don’t worry. I promise, we’ll work on what you wanted us to. And if there are clues there, we’ll find them.”
    “I hate fighting with people I like.”
    She laughed. “Me too. So let’s go fight with people we don’t like.”
    “I want to help,” Nathalie said. “It’s my husband they killed.”
    Naomi and I pulled apart. “Are you sure?” Nathalie didn’t look like she could walk, let alone focus on clues. Then again, I probably looked like a crazy person, so I was in no position to judge.
    “Yes. Please, let me help.”
    “Absolutely,” Amy said. “Let’s get you and Kitty cleaned up, and then we’ll get you a nice glass of warm milk and you can help us look for clues.”
    There was a sink in every infirmary room, thankfully. I did the cold water splash and then blew my nose for a while. Amy and Naomi helped Nathalie do the same. Reasonably